In some specific situations, Mac users running OS X Yosemite may wish to re-download the complete installer application of a prior operating system like OS X Mavericks. This is typically something only advanced users would want to do, perhaps for making a bootable installer for the older OS X version, for upgrading a different Mac, or even to downgrade (more on that in a moment), but unless you have a compelling reason to download the prior OS X release installer there is little other reason to do this.

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When you properly set up Touch ID to unlock your iPhone or iPad, many users add several different of their fingers to the configuration so that they can unlock the iOS device in different orientations. That’s a good idea, but sometimes you may want to change which fingers (or whose fingers) are allowed to access and unlock the Touch ID sensor, and to do so you’ll probably want to delete old finger prints from the Touch ID database in iOS.

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If you want to use a Playstation 3 controller to play games on a Mac, you’ll find that connecting the PS3 controller and syncing it for use with Mac OS X games is actually quite simple, regardless of what version of Mac OS the Mac is running. We’ll walk through how to quickly connect and configure a wireless Playstation 3 controller with a Mac, and how to troubleshoot some basic issues that you may encounter along the way. You’ll be up and gaming with the gamepad in no time!

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If you’ve ever gone to plug in your iPhone or iPad and noticed that it’s not charging as it’s supposed to be, you might want to check the devices Lightning port. That’s because the little charger port on the bottom can be a trap for pocket gunk, and even fairly small pieces of lint or sediment can prevent the device from charging as intended.

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How many times have you seen someone else’s iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running an ancient version of iOS that is not backed up and has a million app updates waiting in the wings? It’s remarkably common for iOS hardware to go neglected by those who are less tech savvy, so if you’re heading to visit seldom seen relatives and friends this holiday, consider using your own knowledge to give the gift of tech support by performing some super simple maintenance on their iOS hardware!

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Forgetting the login and password to an Apple ID is not the best feeling in the world, particularly given how integral an Apple login is to the broader iOS and Mac OS X experience. So, if you or someone else happens to forget an Apple ID or the password to an Apple account, what should you do? First, don’t freak out, we’re human and this stuff happens. Apple provides multiple ways to recover a forgotten ID login or password, and you can start the recovery process either directly on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Mac, Windows PC, or just about anything with a web browser.

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Apple has issued a critical security update to OS X users aimed at patching an exploit with the network time protocol on most Macs. The update is labeled urgently as “Install this update as soon as possible” rather than a traditional name, perhaps indicating the importance of patching the unspecified issue with the Macs NTP.

All Mac users should heed the advice from Apple and take a moment to install the security patch.

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From time to time, your cellular network provider or Apple may issue a carrier settings update to an iPhone or cellular iPad device. The carrier updates are usually very small and make adjustments or improvements to carrier specific settings pertaining to the cell network, data, personal hotspot, voicemail, text messaging, or making calls. While you may see a carrier update pop up randomly on your iPhone, or a request to install one during a general iOS update, you can also manually check for these carrier updates on your own at any time.

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No Holiday get-together is complete without some seasonally themed music, and whether you’re an iTunes Radio lover or Pandora addict, you’ll find great streaming stations available on both services that fit your celebrations. You’ve already decorated your Mac and iOS backgrounds with some great festive wallpapers, so lets get the musical side of things covered next.

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Audio Messages (also called Voice Texts) are a great new feature in iOS that allows you to send a quick little audio note from your iPhone to another iPhone, iPad, or Mac user who has the Messages app configured to use iMessages. This can not only be an added fun way to communicate, but it can also be a nice way to have a more personable and casual conversation that isn’t particularly time sensitive, since hearing someones voice is a bit more meaningful than reading text (unless packed with emoji, maybe).

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Ae you ready to get your desktops and devices into the Holiday spirit? Decorate your Mac and iOS device backgrounds with this absolutely beautiful collection of high-resolution (5k!) holiday themed bokeh wallpapers, featuring gorgeous abstractions of Christmas lights and decorations as shot by Radoslav Holan. There are sixteen images to choose from, and every one of them is simply beautiful and perfectly fit for the holiday season. Pick and choose, or get them all below!

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The weekend is here which means it’s time for another featured Mac setup! This time we’re sharing the awesome workstation of Philip S., a media producer from the UK who has some great advice on building a dream setup. Let’s jump to it and learn a bit more…

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A little clicking sound is made every time you type on the iPhone keyboard. Some users really like that sound effect and find that it helps them to type on the virtual keyboard easier, but other users find it to be annoying and obtrusive. If you don’t want to hear the clicky sound effects when typing in iOS, you can quickly turn the feature off and have the key taps stay quiet, leaving you with completely silent hitting any keys on the iPhone keyboard.

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If you’re a majority Chrome browser user in Mac OS X you’ve probably noticed that when printing from the web browser, a custom print preview window opens up that looks quite different from the default print window on a Mac. Some users may like the alternate Chrome print preview option with it’s larger viewport and different options, but if you prefer the general default MacOS X print dialog window, you can use a defaults command string to modify the behavior of Chrome to use the broader Mac system default printer window instead.

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Spelling autocorrect features tend to be divisive, with Mac users usually either loving it or hating it. Most Mac users know they can easily turn off autocorrect through an OS X system preference change, but the System Preferences are only accessible from the graphical interface of a Mac. If you’re wanting to automate the enabling or disabling of autocorrect for systems configuration or setup script, you may find it useful to know that you can not only check the active status of autocorrect, but also disable and enable autocorrect from the command line in OS X by using a defaults command string. This can be great in configuration and it can also be handy for making remote changes too.

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Apple has released a third beta of iOS 8.2, versioned as build 12D5452a, for all compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices. The beta software is available now for those registered with the iOS Developer program.

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While it’s increasingly common to get overwhelmed in the ocean of emails, the Mail app in iOS includes a really great feature to help you quickly navigate between and scan through tons of emails very quickly. The navigation feature is prominent in the Mail app, and though many users will know about this already, it seems to be vastly underused and often outright unknown by plenty of other iPhone owners. It’s too useful to not point out, so we’re going to show you the quickest possible way to move between emails on the iPhone Mail app.

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The Mac Messages app has long had support for sending and receiving iMessages, and now the latest versions of Messages for Mac OS X support a new feature which allows you to send and receive SMS text messages as well. This basically means that you can talk to someone using an Android, Windows phone, ancient flip phone, with the standard SMS texting protocol right from your Mac Messages app.

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